No, it’s not today. It’s not until September actually, but this year is the BIG ONE.

The BIG 5-0!

While I’ve watched many of my friends turning 50 months ago, I guess that’s one advantage of having a September birthday and being younger than most everybody else in the graduating class. I’m one of the last in my class to reach this milestone.

What’s in a Number?

That being said, I certainly don’t feel whatever going on 50 is supposed to feel like. It’s just a number and besides, according to recent research, 50 is the new 30, so I guess that means I’m really 29 going on 30 (haha!)

I have to laugh sometimes when I see the real 29 year old’s turning 30 and thinking that their lives are coming to an end or even a 39 year old turning 40 thinking they’re ‘over the hill.’ Seriously?

Check out this 90 year old man from Milwaukee still running marathons:

From JSOnline.com – “Ruebl ran his first marathon when he was 59 – a double loop that started at Mayfair Mall. He’s run Grandma’s, Lakefront, Paavo Nurmi in Hurley, and Boston. He qualified for Boston in his early 60s by running Grandma’s in 3 hours and 23 minutes – a 7:44 pace.”

“I can feel every pebble in the road,” he complained before getting the new shoes.

So How am I Going to Celebrate the BIG 5-0?

I am going to celebrate by participating in my very first duathlon… AND! It just happens to be on my birthday.

It’s official! I registered this morning for the Dousman Duathlon. It’s a 2 mile run, followed by a 20 mile bike race followed by another 2 mile run.

Age is what you feel, not the years gone by based on a date.

I don’t know about most people, but I plan on still skiing and hiking the slopes of the Rockies when I’m well into my 80′s and beyond.

I’ve been running for about 16 years, and while I don’t run to compete against others, I run to challenge myself and to stay fit. Now that I have a daughter, I do it so that hopefully she’ll see the example that beauty is about being healthy and fit rather than some Hollywood illusion of beauty.

I’ve done a number of 5K runs before, mostly because they’re a lot of fun, they’re great fundraisers for a variety of charitable organizations… plus, you get a really cool t-shirt.

I’ve only done one 10K race before, although I have run 12-13 miles on my own. I’ve never been in a bike race, though, so this duathlon should be a lot of fun!

My bike is a Trek hybrid, meaning it’s not a racing bike (like Lance’s) nor is it a mountain bike, either. It’s a combination of a trail / road bike with a lighter frame, so it can be taken on paved and unpaved trails. It’ll do fine for this event.

The Training Begins

Now that I’m officially registered, I’ll begin training, which will mostly consist of training for a faster 2 mile and then I’ll transition to training for the run / bike / run.

About 6 weeks before the event, The Bike Doctor is going to be organizing formal training rides, so that should be a lot of fun, too!

That’s how I’m going to celebrate my BIG 5-0 milestone birthday and who knows, maybe I’ll consider a full marathon at some point, but for now, just one event at a time.

So, happy birthday to me!